Friendly North festival begins in Labasa

Update: 4:20PM THOUSANDS of people from various walks of life packed the streets of Labasa to witness the opening of the 2014 Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North this afternoon.

People from as far as Cakaudrove and Bua travelled to the Northern town to get a glimpse of the 19 contestants vying for the festival Queen, King and Lady titles.

In officially opening the week-long event, Labasa special administrator Vijay Chand said the charitable event was one that has been assisting the people of the North in terms of developments and beautification projects.

The festival features 10 Queen and six King contestants, and three lady contestants.